I-JUST-WANT-BASIC-THINGS-WE-ARE-NOT-THERE-YET_LGBT-needs-assessment

The European Voluntary Service (EVS) volunteers, Viktorija Bondikjova from North Macedonia (hosted by Y-PEER PETRI – Sofia) and Carmen Rivas from Spain (hosted by Smokinya Foundation) conducted a qualitative community-based research as part of their personal project within the EVS program in their hosting organizations. This research report is part of the local needs assessment which aimed to understand the needs, services and challenges of LGBT community members and NGOs in Sofia, Bulgaria. The final event for promotion of the findings was held on July 18th in Dada Cultural Bar and it was attended by around 40 people.

Why did we decide to conduct this LGBT needs assessment? 

Due to the lack of research background on LGBT needs and rights in Bulgaria, as well as insufficient funding to implement research projects on this matter, we conducted this local needs assessment to provide critical information about LGBT community needs as identified by them and by the NGOs working with them. The aim of this project is the increase the knowledge and raise the awareness of the critical issues which affect the LGBT community, and contribute to more mobilized and organized LGBT community. The goal of this needs assessment project is to offer possible ideas on how to improve the situation of the LGBT community in Bulgaria in different areas of life, such as law, health, education, media and community organizing, and explore ways to address LGBT peoples’ and NGOs needs.

We are tremendously grateful to Y-PEER PETRI – Sofia and Smokinya Foundation for supporting the research report and to the Rainbow Hub for their collaboration during the entire research process.

The PDF version of the report is attached below.

If you have any questions, you can always contact the authors:

Viktorija Bondikjova at viktorijabon@gmail.com

Carmen Rivas at carmenjoserivas@gmail.com

We hope you enjoy reading the content! 🙂

Safety-and-wellbeing-of-women-in-N.Macedonia_OSCE-research

The OSCE has strong commitments on combating violence against women and girls (VAWG). On 6th of March 2019, the main results report of the OSCE-led Survey on the Well-being and Safety of Women was launched. This is the first comparable representative study conducted in South-East Europe and Eastern Europe. The OSCE Gender Section is organizing a high-level conference on 6-7 May 2019 to disseminate the main results of the survey and discuss next steps with key stakeholders.

The OSCE-led survey therefore provides a wealth of information, including data on social norms and attitudes, prevalence rates of violence against women, its consequences as well as reporting and help-seeking by survivors. The research shows that gaps in the ability of local institutions’ to understand and address women’s and girls’ experience of personal insecurity and violence continue to exist. The survey data suggests that beliefs in female subservience, spousal obedience and silence surrounding VAWG continue to persist in the region and that those women who hold such beliefs are more likely to say they have experienced violence.

This report presents the findings from the OSCE’s qualitative and quantitative study in North Macedonia. The study was implemented in spring/summer 2018 and involved:

• 15 key expert interviews, which provided an overview of issues related
to VAW and of conflict-related acts of violence;
• A survey on experiences of violence among a representative sample
of 1,910 women aged 18–74, including 496 women who completed
the survey in Albanian; the survey used a multistage, stratified, random
probability sample design;
• Eight focus groups with women from various demographic backgrounds (two
with Albanian and two with Roma women) on their attitudes towards the
subject;
• Four in-depth interviews with women who had experienced violence in order
to understand, in more detail, the impact the violence had on
them (including one Albanian and one Roma woman).